How to watch: Bud Grant Special
Bud Grant, the longtime Vikings head coach, will be honored at a public celebration of life on Sunday. He died on the morning of March 4 at the age of 95.
Grant grew up during the Great Depression in Superior, Wisconsin, but found fame at the University of Minnesota, where he was a standout 3-sport athlete. After a stint playing professional basketball for the Minneapolis Lakers and football for the Philadelphia Eagles, he trekked up north to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, eventually becoming their coach.
His success there brought him back to Minnesota, where his challenge was not necessarily to get the Vikings to the top of the league, but to keep them there. During his tenure between 1967-1983 and again in 1985, Grant took the team to 11 NFC/NFL divisional championships. He ultimately took the team to four Super Bowl appearances.
He was active in his community until his death. Just two weeks before he died, he was a feature speaker at the NFL Alumni Gala, and weeks before that, met a 103-year-old Vikings superfan.
How to watch the Bud Grant Special
- Date: Sunday, May 21, 2023
- Time: 11 a.m.
- Watch: Live on CBS News Minnesota on Pluto TV or on the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV.
How to watch Bud Grant's Celebration of Life
- Date: Sunday, May 21, 2023
- Time: 12 p.m.
- Watch: Live on CBS News Minnesota on Pluto TV or on the CBS News app on your phone or connected TV.
Details about the celebration of life
The Vikings have invited a long list of speakers to share their memories about Grant. They include Kevin O'Connell, the current head coach for the Vikings, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and former Vikings Assistant Coach Paul Wiggin. Grant's son Mike Grant will also speak.
Mark Rosen will also host panel discussions with sports personality Ron Schara. WCCO's Mike Max will be among those joining him, along with Star Tribune columnist Pat Reusse. Dan Barreiro, who wrote for the Star Tribune and now hosts radio show KFAN, and Chad Hartman, son of local media legend Sid Hartman, who hosts his own radio show, will also be on the panel.
Former Vikings greats Carl Eller, Chuck Foreman, Stu Voigt, and Scott Studwell will also share their memories of Grant.
